DVD+-RW drives have firmware trouble? For ripping CD's and DVD's?

[SyncroScales]

Hi.

I need to replace my DVD-RW drive. I was wondering if DVD+-RW drives have firmware trouble? For ripping CD's and DVD's?

I have been told on other video editing sites that some people updated their blu-ray RE drives or Blu-ray players firmware and after that they could not play burned discs or the content they created.

Was that kind of excessive copy-protection applied to other Re-Writable drives?

Are there any recommendations for any DVD+-RW drives? I would like VCD 1, 2 and SVCD support. Not just VCD ver2.

Thanks.

[jman98]

That sounds like complete and utter bs to me. I'm sure your mother told you not to believe everything you hear/read. I've NEVER heard anything even close to that.

If you want to provide a link to where you read this crap we can check it out and tell you what we think. Perhaps you are misunderstanding a badly stated point on those sites or the posters are simply idiots. People often misunderstand technical problems and come to irrational conclusions about what the "real" problem is. The only thing in the ballpark of what you're talking about that I've ever heard of is that a month or two ago we had a post about one brand of DVD or BluRay writer where I think it wasn't possible to change the region setting for it or to make it play DVDs/BDs outside of the region it was set for. But this was just one specific brand and I don't remember their name because it's not one I've ever bought. I have never heard of firmware updates preventing ripping. VCD/SVCD support depends on your having the correct software to play those formats. It's not a hardware issue.

[SyncroScales]

VCD/SVCD: I cannot play them in my blu-ray drive. Discs not read.

Old DVD-RW drive: VCD/SVCD worked. But not VCD version 1. The VCd ver 1 discs played in DVD players, but not the burner.

I ask questions and try to sort through the stuff I read on the internet. I am here to learn and try different approaches.

I am aware how to change the region on my DVD and Blu-Ray burners. Or will ask about software to assist in any problem situations.

With all the DRM stuff and some of the crazy things I have read about or that comes out of the industry's and the lawyers or politicians physical mouths: Who knows what is happening or coming. I don't want bricked hardware and wasted time. I am an artist and technically capable/learning, I care about business and copyrights. Though there are a lot of utter failures that don't need to happen.

[usually_quiet]

Hi.

I need to replace my DVD-RW drive. I was wondering if DVD+-RW drives have firmware trouble? For ripping CD's and DVD's?

I have been told on other video editing sites that some people updated their blu-ray RE drives or Blu-ray players firmware and after that they could not play burned discs or the content they created.

Was that kind of excessive copy-protection applied to other Re-Writable drives?

Are there any recommendations for any DVD+-RW drives? I would like VCD 1, 2 and SVCD support. Not just VCD ver2.

Thanks.

DVD and Blu-Ray PC drives often have riplock, which slows down copying if the drive's firmware detects video data is being copied. I don't think that riplock can be disabled on any recent DVD or Blu-Ray drives that have it. I don't know which currently available drives if any don't use riplock.

What Blu-Ray drive failed to read your VCDs and SVCDs? A PC drive or a stand-alone Blu-Ray player?

A PC drive should be able to read them if it reads other kinds of CDs. Individual discs may be unreadable because of damage to the disc, or because the disc didn't burn well, or because the drive is starting to fail. As already noted if the drive and the disc are both in good shape, you would only need to use software able to play VCDs and SVCDs.

Most stand-alone Blu-Ray players and many stand-alone DVD players don't support VCD and SVCD playback, only audio CD playback, but that is not because the drive can't read the discs, but because the firmware isn't designed to play them.

[Noahtuck]

Now how did i know who posted this just by reading the title ?!?!
LOL!!

I wonder if there are any more variations coming down the line......

[jman98]

Now how did i know who posted this just by reading the title ?!?!
LOL!!

I wonder if there are any more variations coming down the line......

Yeah. I know. I'm struggling to understand how "firmware" in a computer DVD drive is "preventing" a VCD from playing. I have a feeling that these problems can't be fixed because PEBKAC and we'd need to be there in person to fix it. Even then the fix might go sailing over his head.

[Cornucopia]

Settops are a different thing altogether, but any decent reader drive from 2000 onward (incl. CD, DVD and BD) should be able to READ a VCD (1.1 or 2.0) or an SVCD*. Actually, more like 1995-onward.

Those types use what's known as MixedMode CD sectors:
1 - track #1 is almost always a CDROM-XA Mode2Form1 (2048 user sectors) track. It contains the ISO9660 (and possibly additional) filesytem with standard files and/or handles to other tracks that happen to LOOK like files (most commonly *.DAT).
2 - subsequent tracks are almost always CDROM-XA Mode2Form2 (2324 user sectors) tracks that utilize the "Video" subchannel flag and store packetized streams of MPEG A/V data.
3 - Occasionally, one encounters an AVCD, and those tracks are at the very end of the list and are standard AudioCD (2356 user sectors) tracks.

*There is a difference between a "READER" and a "PLAYER" (just like there is a difference between a "BURNER" and a "RECORDER"). The former just deals with the transfer of data to/from the physical format. The latter includes the former, but also includes an APPLICATION that reformats that data for a specific use.

All burners/readers should have no trouble with Mixed Mode. Players/Recorders, OTOH, will often have trouble if they aren't designed with that specific use in mind.
Most software VCD/SVCD players are pieces of shit. The few that still work properly with VCD/SVCD (in PBC mode or not) are modules within DVD players: Cyberlink PowerDVD, Corel WinDVD, ArcSoft TMT. And then there is Roxio's VCDPlayer which was probably the best & most full-featured player around (was often included on-disc as part of the autorun packages). However, since ~2005 it has been orphaned and does NOT work on anything beyond XPsp2 32bit and in fact will often crash a PC if attempted. I have done numerous tests to verify this.
Hardware VCD/SVCD playback in settops are not much better, with fewer and fewer devices even allowing MixedMode disc recognition support much less application playback (exception: remaining VCD/SVCD-only players in Asian markets).

**********************

My first gut reaction was also PEBCAK error, though.

Scott

[SyncroScales]

riplock: I'll look into this for the models I've seen.

DVD Player plays VCD 1 and 2: Yamaha DVD-S65

Blu-Ray RE not play VCD and trouble with some CD's: LG Super multi blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter: Model: BH10LS30

Blu-Ray Player that plays CD's but not VCD: LG BD570C

PEBCAK error: I am sure it is not.

[jman98]

riplock: I'll look into this for the models I've seen.

DVD Player plays VCD 1 and 2: Yamaha DVD-S65

Blu-Ray RE not play VCD and trouble with some CD's: LG Super multi blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter: Model: BH10LS30

Blu-Ray Player that plays CD's but not VCD: LG BD570C

PEBCAK error: I am sure it is not.

Your posting skills are not great. You seemed to be talking specifically about COMPUTER drives with your original mention of DVD+-RW, which is completely wrong to use in terms of DVD and BluRay standalone players, and now you are just willy nilly mixing standalones and PC drives back and forth as if they are the exact same thing when they are not the same thing at all.

It's now almost impossible to find any BluRay players that support VCD/SVCD. In theory it would be a piece of cake for them to do so, but for whatever reason the manufacturers choose not to do so. Nothing you can do about that. Support is even vanishing from DVD players too. Cornucopia touched on this. I was unhappy to look at Oppo's website recently and even they seem to have abandoned VCD/SVCD support in their BluRay players and for years they supported both formats.

As far your issue with your LG Super drive goes, sound to me like it is broken specifically with the laser that reads CDs, which explains your problems specific to VCDs and CDs. Your only solution is to buy another drive. It happens. I've seen burners lose CD compatibility but read DVDs fine and vice-versa.

[SyncroScales]

Post 3 and 4 started to talk about players. I mentioned something and usually_quiet then did. Thanks for post #2 jman98 I'll research the blu-ray burner I have a little more and check out some others.

Thanks everyone for the information.